Wednesday's Afternoon Update
Virgin Trains USA announces initial public offering of up to $619 million to support Brightline expansion
Virgin Trains USA, the Sir Richard Branson-backed company that has partnered with Florida's Brightline passenger train, on Wednesday announced an initial public offering of stock to raise up to $619 million. Altogether, Virgin Trains is offering to sell more than 32.5 million shares of stock at $17 to $19 per share. The shares will be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol VTUS. See the announcement from Virgin Trains and read more from the Tampa Bay Times, the Orlando Sentinel, the Miami Herald, and Reuters.
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» Brightline Passenger Train: Floridian of the Year
Miami lost Amazon’s HQ2. Still, the area looks more attractive than ever, experts say
South Florida’s bid to attract Amazon’s HQ2 may have come up short when it came to landing the big prize. But in a panel discussion Tuesday, regional leaders said the bid process itself has galvanized the tri-county area to think and work more collaboratively. More from the Miami Herald.
JEA pushes back decision on new corporate headquarters location to April
JEA officials will take two extra months to evaluate where and who will build its new corporate headquarters, a decision the city-owned electric and water utility was on track to make next week. Instead, the utility will release information Friday about the three potential locations it will select. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Tampa will get its own Capital One Cafe as big banks fight to attract millennials
Capital One Cafe is coming to Tampa, as the financial corporation continues efforts to win over millennial customers with a coffee shop and bank setting that's absent of tellers. With smartphone apps that handle money transfers, rent payments and financial planning, traditional banks are left trying to draw younger customers who may distrust them following the 2008 financial crisis. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
New Korean and international supermarket opening Friday in Orlando
International grocer Lotte Plaza Market is opening Friday in Orlando, hoping to become Orlando’s de facto stop for food from Asia to Europe. The 12-store chain based out of Maryland is making its Florida debut in Orlando with a 63,000-square foot location that will have fresh meat, produce and food staples from across the globe. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Business Profile
iHorror.com
Unlike teenagers running for their lives in a slasher flick, St. Petersburg-based iHorror.com came through 2018 without a stumble. Now, 2019 is starting with two more film-related announcements from iHorror as it ventures into new territory again with streaming content.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
End of an Era
Some greyhound tracks quit early, breeding slows 2 months after racing ban passes
Only 2½ months after Floridians voted to ban commercial greyhound racing by the end of 2020, three of the state’s 11 tracks have already gotten out of the business, and greyhound-adoption organizations report that they don’t have enough retired racers for all the people who want them as pets.
» Read more from the Orlando Sentinel.